1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method and a system for resistance-based muscular force evaluation and training.
2. Description of the Background Art
A resistance-based muscular force training system, such as a bi-articular arm device, exploiting a bi-articular link mechanism has been proposed in Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2000-210272, for instance. There has also been disclosed, for a system or an apparatus for evaluating or training the muscular force of a user, using a robot arm fastened to his or her limbs, the technique for indicating the direction of the force to be exerted by the user, based on elasticity of the distal end of the robot arm, which is made hard or soft depending on the direction of force application.
In the aforementioned conventional systems for resistance-based muscular force evaluation and training, the modulus of elasticity in a specified direction is constant regardless of the positions of the four limbs. However, the force actually generated at the distal ends of the four limbs of the human body may be varied appreciably in dependent upon the position or orientation of the limbs. Thus, if the trainee changes his or her position so that the force which he or she can exert at the distal ends of his or her limbs becomes greater or smaller, then he or she may feel the elasticity changing hard or soft accordingly, thus possibly causing cases where the elasticity felt hard or soft distinguishably is indefinite. In such a case, the trainee is unable to comprehend the direction in which to exert his or her force.